Under the concept, only juveniles convicted of serious crimes would be sent to the agency. In return, the state would reimburse the counties for each juvenile who is incarcerated and rehabilitated locally.
Youths would have a stronger network of rehabilitative support closer to home than in one of the agency's remote facilities, said Jeanne Meurer, legal management director for Travis County juvenile probation.
"But being able to do that depends on what a county or community's financial resources are," she said. "That's why many local agencies are excited about the possibility of getting funds from the state to keep their kids at home."
It costs Travis County an average $175 a day, or $63,875 a year per child, to incarcerate and provide rehabilitation services, according to the pilot project proposed by Meurer and Estela Medina, Travis County's chief probation officer. If the child were sent to a Youth Commission institution, it would cost the state an average of $270.49 a day, or $98,729 annually per child, they said.
In the 2005 budget year, Travis County sent 119 juveniles to the agency at a cost to the state of $11.7 million. If the 119 had been kept in Travis County facilities, the cost would have been $7.6 million, Meurer and Medina said.
Under the Travis County proposal, a limit would be placed on the number of offenders each county would be allowed to send to the agency each budget year. In the case of Travis County, local probation officials would cap the number of juveniles sent to the agency each budget year at 10. If the county sent more than 10 in that year, the county would pay the agency the cost of taking on those juveniles.
The Travis County plan calculates that the state would pay the county $7.6 million in 2010 and $8 million in 2011.
The plan is one of several being studied by state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, the chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee.
"This is exactly what we had in mind when we passed the reforms two years ago," said Whitmire, an author of the reform bill in 2007.
The concept has been initially embraced by Senate budget writers, who last week cut the Youth Commission's proposed funding significantly so it can be put into local diversion programs paid for through the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. House budget-writers have not signed on but have initially approved much of what Youth Commission officials requested.
Take a look for yourself at the actual plans discussed in the article from Travis County, Dallas County, and the 22 Southeastern Counties.
Tomorrow (March 13) is bill filing deadline at the Texas Legislature so by the weekend perhaps we'll see some legislation filed implementing these concepts.
I trust Judge Meurer, but once again in Travis Co's proposal, I see no description of services, only numbers.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the article's money quote (literally) is this:
"The concept has been initially embraced by Senate budget writers, who last week cut the Youth Commission's proposed funding significantly so it can be put into local diversion programs paid for through the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission."
First, will that actually happen. The lege doesn't exactly have a glowing track record of following up on funding promises for juvie justice.
Second, how will that happen. Who is going to be responsible for corralling hundreds of separate county budget requests each year or biennium for the lege?
Who will be responsible for actually disbursing the funds? Who will exercise oversight to ensure they are spent appropriately? How will that oversight be carried out? If it's TYC, will it receive adequate support for the staffing such oversight would require?
Are we even thinking about this stuff or just salivating at the cost savings?
Could we see some evidence of thinking beyond the next five minutes?
Bill Bush
One more thing: yes, I see the mention of TJPC. But this will entail a significant expansion of that agency. And I suspect some of the services provided by local counties won't fall neatly into "probation."
ReplyDeleteBB
There is another plan circulating that will utilize felony referrals only to determine the TYC commitment target rate. The felony referral plan has more common sense added to it. Get that one posted for all to see. We had it forwarded to us but it utilized Fort Bend County numbers. This plan will protect the Dallas metro area counties that are growing fast nfrom being held to low TYC committment numbers when our population and referrals are growing rapidly. I am sure others have a growth in population and referrals happening like we are.
ReplyDeleteGoood ideas, but don't give the funds to TYC to shuffle out. We have all seen how TYC can't manage money or youth. To improve the overall youth picture....get TYC completely out of the picture.
ReplyDeletefoolish, what do you think will happen when the counties hit their cap, can you say certification, that's great lets just send them to prison. Or even worse maybe this serious offender can make it in the community with victimizing someone else until the end of the fiscal year.
ReplyDeleteAnd a somewhat contrary argument, when did probation departments start making the final decision about who goes to TYC, i think the atty's and the judge may have some say so in that.
additional funding to local communities already equals less committments and there isn't a probation department or judge in this state that should send a kid to TYC if all resources have not been exhausted or the youth is not a danger to keep in the community.
ReplyDeleteIf a kid needs to go to TYC then he/she needs to go. Are you really gonna keep the kid in the community knowing someone else is likely to be victimized just so you can have extra funding. Most judges won't buy into that.
State legislature - Provide additional funding upfront and your TYC committments will likely go down. You should be spending your time right sizing the agency and develop long term plans on how to better manage your population fluctuations at TYC in the future.
These plans are nice and all but shouldn't really be necessary. Just go ahead and fix TYC issues and move on. All these so called changes being disussed are "knee jerk" reactions and will lead to further problems in the future.
You don't make systematic changes when there aren't problems with the system.
You're saying there is no systematic problems in TYC? Get real.
ReplyDelete"systematic problems"
ReplyDeleteIf it gets a state funded budget it has this.
The only thing that really went wrong was that the powers to be were not getting their share of the swindle.
When can everyone in the state see these so called plans that we are going have to live by? I see some posted but where is the newest plan? We in the country are always the last to know anything.
ReplyDeleteTYC is a component of the juvenile justice system. So no TYC is not the system. The failures and problems at TYC relate to policy and leadership problems. Maybe structure and facility placement related as well.
ReplyDeleteThe changes being discussed and to be implemnted are changes to the entire juvenile justice system and not just TYC.
So as stated earlier ..... fix TYC.
I would like to see a detailed plan. The lege needs to be held to the fire on this plan and any others they are considering. If this is what Whitmire says he had in mind two years ago, then I don't believe I can have much faith in anything those folks have to say. They have had time to implement a decent plan and they have done the opposite.
ReplyDeleteLike any state policy, these guys should post their proposed ideas for public comment before they take the vote. Otherwise, I see the counties are about to get burned.
ReplyDelete1:55 nails it.
ReplyDeleteIf Whitmire was thinking of this two years ago, he had a funny way of showing it (see: Pope, Dimitria).
I think it would be great to limit the commitments to tyc and have the state provide incentives to local counties to deal with their juvenile delinquency issues. I realize we are talking about a government managed system but I still want to say that if the plans are scalable then designing for population fluctuations should be a no brainer.
ReplyDeleteIt is my opinion that the biggest issue with tyc is its attempting to be something it’s not. For almost 40 years tyc has been attempting to demonstrate that it has changed its thinking to a rehabilitative institution. You can shave an ugly dogs tuckass and make it walk backwards but it’s still an ugly dog. The tyc needs be in corrections business and stop wasting all the taxpayers money covering up and trying to pretend otherwise. 40 years of tyc trying to put lipstick on a hog is foolishness.
There has been enough policy changes that would prevent orphans being dropped off, and no more county’s dumping their misdemeanors so now tyc only gets the hard core kids. This is what Mountain View was originally for, not to populate with misdemeanor kids to who had a case of “rabbit fever” or kids the looser caseworkers couldn’t deal with. The tyc is much better at warehousing a kid than providing medical and physiological treatment let alone education. Change the name to Texas department of juvenile corrections and be done with it. What are we talking here about a thousand kids.
It’s too bad gatesville got turned over to tdc, although that was a slick move, no one will be digging around that place for unmarked graves of kids like in Florida. The evil security red nick pos we called the kitchen got a free ride with that move.
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
Sunset bills were filed today to abolish both so let's see how it works out. I don't see it happening. I too want to see these plans in writing. We can view some but what about the "NEW" one based on felony referrals 9:35 refers to?
ReplyDeleteYour out of your mind Sheldon if you think there are only 1000 hard core cases in this agency. Times have changed since you were a kid man. You are about 1200 off the mark - I kid you not.
ReplyDelete642...you figuers are false, don't try to mislead the public like you so often do.
ReplyDeleteOh there not false. Exclude sentenced offenders from the mix who we know will stay in TYC.
ReplyDeleteDo an open records request. Ask for a a comparable study by rate per 100 ADP and compare Violent Scores from the year prior to SB 103 and now. Then get back to me. When these people say their facilities are "out of control" they're not kidding. These are some of the baddest kids I've seen in 25 years of doing this type of work.
Granted I agree the culture has a lot to do with it, but, TYC will pass that culture problem down the pike and those in county probation residential services had better brace themselves for the ones you sent. I hope you beef up your security. You'll need it. Hope you beef up mental health services. You'll need that too. Hope you can beef up special education requirements - ditto. Hope you can retain employees. I think we're just passing on a huge headache here, but I'm fine with it all.
Tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. We'll see.
Any justification needed, is manufactured...all to keep TYC as is. Scare the public into leaving TYC alone. No way dude.
ReplyDeleteThere is no fixing TYC, they ran off all the professionals that could have fixed it. Quit trying to save your sinking ship.
ReplyDeleteThe felony plan circulating states there were 21,100 felony referrals in 2008 and 1,500 + committed to TYC. I would think those 1,500 were the bad of the bad and they probably needed to be out of the community.
ReplyDeleteWhat comes around...TYC didn't save youth, why should the public want to save TYC? TYC the yuck cause
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how the regional idea will work.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see how they deal with things like education, medication and special needs like mental health issues.
What happens when the kids decide they dont want to go to school?
What happens when they pass meds?
In TYC they just go to security when they dont want to go to school.
I am assuming they will be in some type of alternitive school so what happens when they just dont show up?
What about passing meds?
In TYC they get written up and receive little to no consequences but in the free that is drug dealing, will they be charged as such?
Will each house have a full time nurse to administer medication?
What about searches?
Will those be allowed or since they are in the free do they need a search warrant to do room searches?
I could go on for hours but I think you get where I am going.
Has anyone asked these type questions or will it be make up the rules as they go?
More too many problems to not save TYC. The agency that can solve all problems except how to care for youth, and not waste massive amounts of public funds.
ReplyDelete7:45 I agree with you.
ReplyDelete9:37
ReplyDeleteIt is true that tyc is in bad shape but tell me this.
A youth goes thru community programs, alternitive schools, probation and sometimes several other programs and each of those fail at trying to turn these kids lives around so they come to tyc where in 9 months we are supposed to completely change these kids?
could it be that tyc is set up to fail no matter what they do?
Instead of just regular school why dont they give us a program that gets these kids ready for the real world so they can get a job and start to turn their lives around.
If it takes $90,000 per year to house a youth why not find businesses that will hire them and the state pays half their salery for the first year?
The kids get a job so they can build confidence and the employer gets cheap labor?
It would be a winning situation for everyone.
Well 8:23 and beyond, why don't you do as advised and lets banter those numbers once you're informed. Post and discuss.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is no one wants juvenile probation to walk in the situation unprepared, and they will be unless this is thought out and funded accordingly. We know because we asked.
You might want to think, but then again, as your post would indicate, that might be difficult at best.
I like 1016's idea. It may just be the best course of action. Surely, you do not work for TYC, to come up with such an idea. This is not abuse, so it must not be a commission idea. Makes lots of sense, so probably won't be accepted.
ReplyDelete?????????????????????????????
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - nothing.
To all of you who honestly believe that someone is trying to scare the lege into leaving TYC alone, I challenge you to work at TYC. Why not? You and your like minded pals should demand that all of the evil TYC staff resign immediately and you all step into their jobs. Go ahead Prove how wrong they are.
ReplyDeleteCould it possibly be that TYC is really out of control right now. Yes. I know first hand do you? In the last couple of months there have been numerous assaults involving youth on youth and youth on staff. One staff in Mart has a broken jaw. It was estimated that he was knocked cold for several minutes. Was he beating a child? No. Another staff had leg broken. Rhose two incidents occurred days apart. The youth at one facility tried to run two times in a couple of days. Believe what you like? I just mentioned a few. Oh yes, staff brutally raped by TYC youth in another facility. Where will those kids go? What happens? Just something to ponder. Any way I wonder about past reforms and things. What about the following:
Texas First Time offender Program-avail in 43 counties, 2001 or so
A program for juvenile offenders with mental health needs.
Tarrant County - Family Matters- prgram for juvenile offeders and families.
Special Needs Diversionary Program, 2001. Funded by lege in 2001as alternative to incerceration for JO's, and designed to keep them at home. This available in counties with highest number of committments. In SPND do PO's and LMHC's partner to serve caseloads of 12, 15 kids?
What happened to Telemental Health initiatve that was a pilot program to get mental health services to youth in far rural areas.
Just some other thoughts. Does anyone know, would anyone believe that TYC's Giddings State School was praised in a book for it's treatment prgram?
Where are the handbooks for navigating the juvenile justice system?
How many counties currently have adequate facilities and programs to accomodate influx of offenders staying in county?
How will youth deal with staying close to home that environment is the one in which he is most likely to fail? Where friends and famil are all in the legal system. Wjere all of his family is in the drug business or in gangs or just in trouble?
Seems like there have been programs and money poured into prevention, rehab, etcc. Whhat happened? No money, misuse of etccc?
For counties with treatment programs, how many use some fom of thinking errors and lifestory? both majr components of the resocialization program. TYC's evil program, that was so bad.
The lege has a terrible track record and tends to get amnesia. They need to be held to the fire over ther misguided, ill informed endorcements. There is alot of bad, inaccurate information out there. Can't believe many things. For example, a PA, with the federal division of probation stated that juvenile offender mental health issues had never been addresed before 2000 in Texas. That is totally false, TYC has been adressing them since the early nineties. The lege listens to whoever or whatever is PC popular at any given time. decisions. They need to do more homework before endorsing legislation. Whitmire said that the Travis Co. plan was what he had in mind two years ago. If that is so, what happened? Yikes!
Some people seem more interested in destroying or discrediting TYC than they are in improving juvenile corrections. 9:35 is correct. Important to consider and it's true.
ReplyDeleteWho said TYC could save the youth? That is an unrealistic. First and formost TYC is to protect the public. rehab is an ideal
ReplyDeleteIrregardless of what happens with regional plans Senator Whitmire is determined to change TYC. The sunset bills filed yesterday reflect the Sunset Commission Rec. of abolishment and the idea of creating positions for chief's on the board makes sense. Looking at all the items in the bill I see JPO's and TYC officers are kept seperate. Alot of just cut and paste of current requirements are in the bill making me wonder if the 2 sgencies will actually merge or just be governed by 1 board.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody looked at the state of Missouri and how it is handling their juvenile population? There model could be a model for Texas...
ReplyDeleteBased on what we're seeing so far, I would be very careful about viewing whatever comes out of the lege as a serious test of whether regionalization "works" or not.
ReplyDeleteDecentralizing administration of JJ in and of itself does not constitute regionalization.
If you look at the history of the Missouri model's development, they didn't just scrap an entire state agency and shift everything onto the counties under the rubric of "juvenile probation."
The county functions envisioned by the lege currently do not seem to me to fall under the category of "probation" at all.
It's also true, however, that real reforms haven't always emerged gradually (e.g., Massachusetts in the 1970s). But let's face it, the lege is about the most unlikely source imaginable for a revolution in JJ. Elected officials historically have shown not only no vision but no capability for vision in this area. They are by definition incrementalists subject to a range of competing pressures.
The continuing focus on cost savings above all else doesn't exactly fill me with hope. Cost savings should be a welcome byproduct of a good program, not the entire be-all end-all purpose of a program - isn't that how we got here to begin with?
Meanwhile... waiting for something that looks like an actual plan to emerge.
Bill Bush
A big part of the problem in TYC right now is the gang problem and influence. And, the gang problem is greatly influenced by the border security problem. This will have to be addressed before any real progress can be made. As it is, you're trying to spin gold out of straw.
ReplyDelete0438:: That is what has caused the problems in the first place. Warehousing youth...w/no treatment and rehab. You said it and that has been the management emphasis: warehouse...out of the public view. Why then do these youth come back to TYC several times? Gee, I wonder why. No treatment...just warehousing. When will TYC learn. You only make criminals worse...you don't help them or the public. Yes, they turn to gangs for leadership because the parents and TYC did not offer them any help...treatment...rehab...Get it. You/ the system is the problem.
ReplyDelete11:47
ReplyDeleteYes they wharehouse the kids, they serve their time and are released then come back.
Where is probation helping while they are in the free?
It is easy to blame TYC for not being miricle workers but why are they the only ones to blame when every other group fails also?
Why are we not changing the community programs so they never get to TYC in the first place?
Typical TYC hogwash. More excuses. You didn't offer treatment and bow it has backfired on TYC. More excuses. I guess, next it will our grandfathers fault for having kids in the first place. Take responsibility and teach it to youth.
ReplyDelete11:59
ReplyDeleteI do take responsibility and I do teach the kids every day, I have admitted there are problems at TYC but there are problems with the whole system.
I am just saying if we want to fix the problem we need to fix the whole system, not just 1 part.
The lege was more interested in demolishing TYC than they were at remodeling the juvenile justice system in TYC.. It's been two years and they still don't have a plan. Juvenile offenders and repairing the system are obviously not at the top of their list. They couldn't answer any substantive questions about reforms. All they can do is continue to talk about what TYC failed to do. If that is so true, why can't they produce a viable plan of action? I'm sorry, I have no faith at all in one thing they say.
ReplyDeleteYou can’t keep forcing tyc to do something it’s not capable of doing, it’s the state training school, reform school, youth prison. Its cost too much money to continue to have tyc mismanage these mashugana cover ups.
ReplyDeleteBTW tyc has always had psychological programs, we called it medication call in my days. Just dope em up, unless their competing in fight night, and the staff have money riding on ya. Hell your more addicted to drugs after tyc than before. I wasn’t a dope head until I went to tyc the first time. And you can’t get the good shit on the street like you can in tyc, some things never change I’m told. Took years to get clean from that.
Gang problems, that is so damn retarded. Desegregation caused your gang problems, understand your history. Take it from someone who ran a school, if we would have had gangs back in my day, the early days of tyc desegregation and its transformation from good ol boy to team playas management system, it would have been so much more easier to manage. Although, I liked the team playas, they were so much more easier to manipulate, IMO. We did have boys who were leaders of their respective racial groups per dorm, we ‘worked’ the clothes room, but it wasn’t as well organized as it appears to be today. At my school we had 6 dorms, including the punk dorm, times 3 G’s per dorm equals 18 different boys one would need to coordinate various ventures with. We didn’t have boards or councils then, would have been nice. Also it’s my understanding the staff had a little better control of their schools back then, than the current staff have now.
Segregate those boys by race, separate the weaker ones and then get some real dorm men not women in tight pants or youngsters, and voila your back to a 40 to 1 ratio and you regain control. Perhaps frequent simultaneous visits to tyc’s respective schools from Geronimo will help out politicians thinking
You team playas don’t forget whose running your schools, they sleep in your dorms.
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
I would like to know how many of you think TYC is supposd to take the place of parents? To those of you who kepp on saying that TYC did not offer treatment or rehab, please provide that evidence. I provided group therapy everyday there for ten years. Prove I didn't. Prove TYC didn't. Now, last thing, show me your plans to do all of this better than it was being done.
ReplyDeleteI think the faith thing is a loss by the lege in TYC. Money has been poured into TYC for the lege to see wasted by the new management team. Old problems just keep appearing in TYC, for the lege to see again and again. How can the lege or public have any confidence in a TYC that continues to fail youth and its responsibility to the public, after all that has been done in the past two years for TYC? Even changing the top figures hasn't helped...the old culture of TYC demands to stay as is and employees get upset when changes do occur. You can't have it both ways...change or be forced to change. You had several chances and screwed them up.
ReplyDeleteWho hired the string of new management at TYC over the last two years? Do you have any idea who developed the so called reformed policy at TYC? Who do you think those guys in charge answer to? If you guys think TYC was supposed to perform miracles than surely you must believe the lege has the power to transform TYC. They are in charge, they were supposed to intiate reforms, they were supposed to develop a plan and they haven't done it. Did you not pay attention to what Whitmire said about the Travis Co. plan? This is the direction I wanted to head two years ago? Why didn't he do it? He had the power. If they can't find a decent manager that's on them. I agree TYC has terrible management, as do scores of other state agencies. How do you think this happens? the lege aren't tired. All they have to do is develop a new plan and implemnt. Off with their current headmama's head. Why all this hatred of TYC? You all say nothing about TDCJ, and their poor managemnt scandals and rape? I don't get it. I don't think much of the management in either organization, and I don't like the way they do many things, but I would never think about doing away with either agency.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is sick of the abuses, rape and mismanagement in the adult and juvenile systems. Both systems are such a huge disappointment that the public is ready to discard both, if they could. Unfortunately, both are necessary at this time, but both are in need of drastic overhauls. One does not over shadow the other, since they both are heavily influenced with bad management and poor policies. It will take some time for the lege to seperate out, cut some throats and implement sadly needed changes. Some rif-raf have been sheded but many more are in line to go.
ReplyDelete8:25;
ReplyDeleteThe Missouri Model has proven effective but there are major differences. the first is smaller residential placements. the second is that there lowest level direct care employee, the equivalent of TYC's JCO are counselors and are required to have bachelor's degrees. The third is that many of the kids that we keep in TYC are shipped to the adult system in Missouri. The fourth is that kids in Missouri are in the system a very long time. All that adds up to a bunch of money and more kids in adult prison.
You cannot say that all of TYC warehoused youth and did not provide treatment. That simply isn't true. You also cannot say that all youth in TYC received the services they should. That also isn't true. BUT the people to blame for this are not TYC staff. The people to blame and hold accountable are the governors and legislators that do not fund the systems they implement, do not fund programs to hire qualified staff, and funded major institutions in rural communities. This is not just TYC and TDCJ. No one is really even talking or making a big deal out of the conditions in the DADS facilities. We are talking about severely disabled people who died, were tortured, were sexually abused, were in fight clubs. Come on people. You cannot look at these agencies as being solely responsible. It is the state of Texas that is responsible. All branches of government. The judges that don't demand justice for state employees who abuse people, the governors that are incompetent and the legislators that focus solely on retaining there power and creating media scandals out of serious situations to avoid culpability for their lack of interest in serving the people of the state.
ReplyDelete'Everyone is sick of the abuses, rape and mismanagement in the adult and juvenile systems."
ReplyDeleteYes we are.
But I have to ask why Texas keeps paying someone in West Texas his retirement when he was charged with protecting that facility and those kids as a Youth Rights Specialist and virtually acknowledged abuse and neglect under his watch in some book and never raised an issue with those outside TYC?
It took a caseworker who is at the same pay grade to raise hell (and outside of TYC I might add) about what went out there while this imbecile stayed silent until he retired and wrote a paper that would have failed eighth grade English?
I think the investigations ought to expand to include him because if what he wrote was true, he absolutely failed to report it to law enforcement or some other entity like that case worker did.
'Everyone is sick of the abuses, rape and mismanagement in the adult and juvenile systems."
ReplyDeleteYes we are.
But I have to ask why Texas keeps paying someone in West Texas his retirement when he was charged with protecting that facility and those kids as a Youth Rights Specialist and virtually acknowledged abuse and neglect under his watch in some book and never raised an issue with those outside TYC?
It took a caseworker who is at the same pay grade to raise hell (and outside of TYC I might add) about what went out there while this imbecile stayed silent until he retired and wrote a paper that would have failed eighth grade English?
I think the investigations ought to expand to include him because if what he wrote was true, he absolutely failed to report it to law enforcement or some other entity like that case worker did.
Who released the snake from its hole? He is sure spreading his venom and probably dangerous to youth and others he comes near. Mental health check required here?
ReplyDeleteTYC current woes began with the TDCJ regime that the lege & gove supported 1000%. Think back, Kimbrough, Owens, Pope and Bronco Billy Humphrey. They were allowed to break policies and rewrite them to suit their needs, not those of the youth. They hired and hired and hired their friends until central office got so large, two buildings were needed to hold them. They destroyed the treatment program that was in place and working, maybe not perfectly, but well enough to help youth see the light at the end of the tunnel, however dim it might have been for some, it was there. Those that wanted to work through the program saw results. Folks you can lead the horse to the water but you can't make it drink. If the reverse was true, there would be fewer kids in trouble and families would all be a version of father knows best or leave it to the beave. The sad thing is that Owens & Pope wanted to control the youth, like they control the adults in the prison system. Wonder why? Not once were they cut off at the pass by the powers that be, they were the good, bad and the ughly and together they dismanteled tyc.
ReplyDeleteAlong comes Nedelkoff who had some idea of what needed to be done, but our elected officials would not allow him to speak and cut him off at the pass incessantly and relentlessly. He stood no chance at reforming the agency. Turmoil ensued and tyc employees lost faith in the system as a whole. One notch on the belt for our elected officials.
We now have Ms. Townsend, she does not profess to be perfect, mind you. But at least she is qualified for the job. Now all you tyc haters, the gov and lege give her the chance to reform the agency. Let her pick up the pieces and build the darn agency back to a respected one. It is not going to take two or three years but at she's made changes we can see are working. Keep in mind that this ConeXtions (probably mispelled) program was not her idea and it had already been set in motion by da pope as resocialization became the new big four letter word in tyc. Ms. Townsend is steering the ship out of the rough water but the bottom line is, it will take lots of $$$$$$. Give it to tyc and be done with it. TYC is not the only scandel ridden, scandel racked agency. Just look around at TDC, ISD's and other assorted agencies in the state. Let us get back to the business of helping the troubled youth entrusted to our care!
MOC
What hole? I always shot facts and had evidence to back it up.
ReplyDeleteApparently you had something there but either (1) failed to do something about it, or (2) had such poor writing skills you couldn't convince the Pope he was Catholic.
Get real.
8:49,
ReplyDeleteWhy not retain a version of TYC's Capital Offenders program for the serious youth offenders who would be shipped into adult prison, and set up a Missouri-style system for the rest?
More fundamentally, you're right: initially, any real reform is going to require a substantial outlay of funds. Instead witness the pols and local counties rearranging scraps at the table.
I wish everyone in Texas following the JJ melodrama would grasp this one fact: IT WILL COST MONEY to fix this problem. The failure to accept that for the last 100+ years is how we got into this mess. Time to cowboy up.
Blame the youth themselves if you want, but don't forget that we elect the people who decide to short-change practically every public institution those kids encounter from birth to prison.
The _least_ we can do is to offer a halfway decent JJ system to clean up the mess we've helped make of their lives.
BB
Well stated; will the snakes be allowed to still work around youth, or can we ensure the snakes are all rif'ed, as they should have already been. Even if the new agency gets off to a new start u/cherie, the snakes can quickly undermine anything she trues to do.
ReplyDeleteMoc - that's exactly what happened.
ReplyDeleteTYC didn't bring in TDCJ. Whitmire et.al did that, and TYC didn't bring in Nedlekoff. He was seemingly weak when he responded to Whitmire. But we have to give him credit for Cheri Townsend, who is, in my opinion, a steal and a hell'uva woman. She's facing an up hill battle, but she's faring well. She'll be a leader in this state in TYC or elsewhere. She's really impressive.
09*20: Do we detect a little jealousy here and a desire for revenge? Good role modeling for our youth. Are you upset that a good conspirator of yours was rif'ed, when it was discovered that you knew alot and refused to corroperate to stop it or help the youth involved? You'll get over it, with time...perhaps the change of jobs will allow you to regain your self confidence and still be able to falsify what you know. Adios.
ReplyDeletelol.
ReplyDeleteSorry reality is such a reach for you. It's one of the reasons to consider WTSS for closing because if they're like you - close it.
"the snakes can quickly undermine anything she trues to do."
ReplyDeleteTrues to do?
Must be "you know who."
Did they not teach english past the 4th grade out there?
3/14;1:26 a.m. Quit criticizing and contribute someting positive. Lay your cards on the table and be done with it. What are you alluding to?
ReplyDeleteSure, close it 1025// After you came out here and helped ruin a generally fine program, you run back to Austin and hide behind those who covered for the sex abuse in the first place. Hope you are rif'ed soon, or fired for your involvement. Close Austin....not WTSS.
ReplyDelete